Calgary
remains Canada’s largest city without pesticides restrictions to protect the
health of its people and environment. “We
frequently hear of children and mothers exposed to pesticides in parks and
along trails,” said Robin McLeod, President of Coalition for Health Calgary.
“Clearly the City is using pesticides as a first resort, not a last resort. It
is time to shift gears from killing unwanted species, to manual control, and optimizing
conditions to grow what we desire. This is key to healthy, cost-effective
landscaping.”
“Pesticides are designed and spread in our
environment, specifically to be toxic,” stated environmental health scientist Meg
Sears, Chair of Prevent Cancer Now. “They
feature among top chemicals that can interfere with basic biology, and are
linked with rapidly escalating cancers and chronic diseases, in younger and
younger Canadians. Conditions such as such as diabetes, autism, autoimmune
diseases, asthma and vascular diseases and are swamping clinics, bankrupting
healthcare, and exacting inestimable costs in human suffering.”
Triclopyr (the
persistent, active ingredient in Garlon) is listed as mimicking the hormone estrogen
in an extensive 2015 review,
and as causing mammary tumours in animals. Such “endocrine effects” may cause
many chronic conditions. Health
Canada registers pesticides if they pose “acceptable risks when used according
to the label.”
Rudimentary federal pesticide assessment leaves aside the complexities
of ongoing, low-dose, modern exposures, and cannot ensure “safety.” Just as doctors
aim for “best practices,” Calgarians should expect excellence in land
management. Instead, Calgary continues to fall further behind strategies protecting
the majority of Canadians who enjoy regional and provincial pesticide bans.
For further
information, please contact:
Meg Sears
PhD 613 297-6042 Chair, Prevent Cancer Now
meg@preventcancernow.ca
Robin
McLeod 403 703-0018 President, Coalition for a Healthy Calgary
365healthycalgary@gmail.com
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